


The Perks of Matrimony

by siderealSandman



Series: Avatar No-War AU [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU - no war, F/M, Oral Sex, Play Wrestling, The Benefit...is friendship, Wedding Night, Zuko Being Impossibly Awkward, au - Arranged Marriage, consensual arranged marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:28:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22826389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siderealSandman/pseuds/siderealSandman
Summary: Katara has heard many things about her husband to-be; that he was a talented firebender, that he had a quiet personality, that he had a kind heart.Somehow, the fact that he was hot had never been communicated to her.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Avatar No-War AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641025
Comments: 28
Kudos: 1026





	The Perks of Matrimony

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: The following is an adult piece of fiction featuring adult characters in explicitly sexual situations. All characters are depicted over the age of eighteen and this fic is not intended for minors. Reader discretion is advised
> 
> AU Notes: Long story short, Sozin never invaded, the world never went to war, and Zutara is getting married as God wills it

Katara’s eyes roamed over the reflection that stared somewhat nervously back at her, lingering on the opal wedding band fastened around her throat. Behind her, the plush blue and white gown lay in a crumpled heap on the edge of the vanity, the last remnants of Katara of the Southern Water Tribe finally cast aside. Now she was a princess of a foreign land, married to a foreign prince...and apparently daimyo of somewhere called Ember Island. 

Nobody had told her that she was getting an island as part of this whole arrangement...just like nobody told her that the man she was going to marry was- 

A flicker of movement caught her attention through the curtain separating the washroom from her marital suite. Dozens of candles cast flickering light on the waterfall of inky black hair that tumbled down Zuko’s bare back as he undid his topknot. The stern-faced portraits Fire Lord Iroh’s ambassadors had brought her didn’t do Zuko justice. Pale yellow ink didn’t quite capture the fierce golden color of his eyes. The thick, bulky armor he had posed in hid smooth muscle and skin like pale moonlight. Even the blotchy, pinkish scar (inflicted by a brute of a father before his banishment) looked worse when rendered in crimson ink. 

They should have painted him as he was now, hair undone, skin flushed, and clad in thin, silk pants that left very little to the imagination. And Katara _had_ imagined it; she knew that after the wedding came the wedding _night_. She just didn’t know how she felt about having sex with a man she had only known from letters; only spoken to a handful of times amid a crowd of family and friends. 

Of course, that was before she knew that Zuko was hot. Now her feelings were considerably _less_ conflicted on that subject. 

Heart thumping in her ears, Katara quietly cleared her throat. “Are you, um...ready?” 

“I-” Zuko’s voice cracked, pitching up half an octave as he straightened up, leaning on the edge of the bed as he cleared his throat. “If you are...I am.” 

Sparing one last look at her reflection, Katara stepped through the curtain, bare feet skimming the floor and drawing Zuko’s attention. His lips fell open ever so slightly as she stepped into the circle of candlelight, leaning back a little as though the sight of her had knocked him off his balance. 

“Your sister's... _perky_ friend gave me this,” Katara chuckled, hands clasped behind her back as Zuko’s eyes drank in Katara’s figure. There was only so much he could tell through thick matrimonial robes that did nothing to flatter the figure beneath it. Red and gold hemmed silk cupped her breasts, concealing just enough to make him want to take it off. A similarly colored loincloth was fastened at her hips, tied in bows reminiscent of the pile of unopened wedding presents awaiting them in the next room. Her long, shapely legs were bare as she stopped a few feet in front of him, turning with a small pirouette that highlighted the shapely curve of her ass. 

“Yeah, she, uh…” Zuko licked his lips. “Ty Lee has an eye for this...kind of...thing.” 

“So I take it you like what you-” Katara trailed off with a small chuckle as she glanced between his legs. “I guess that answers my question.” 

Zuko didn’t even need to glance down to know that what blood had not rushed to his face had marched south, erected camp, and pitched a tent. 

“Yeah, you, uh...look good,” Zuko mumbled, slowly standing up. “I mean...great. I-I mean...pretty...I-I mean-” 

Katara’s let out a small laugh, rocking back on her heels as her eyes wandered up Zuko’s bare chest. “You...you too.” 

Zuko was privately glad that he was already married to Katara; his stunted charisma would never have managed to woo her on his own. 

“So…” Katara said, chewing on the corner of her lip. “This is the part where we…” 

“Yeah…” Zuko nodded. “I mean...I-I get that we just _officially_ met so...if you want to put this off and just _tell_ everyone we...finalized the marriage…then we can-” 

Zuko trailed off as Katara’s hand slowly trailed up his bare chest, a tingle of electric anticipation following her fingers. 

“That’s very sweet,” Katara said, cupping his cheek as she felt his fingertips trail along her lower back. “But, if it’s all the same to you...I’d like to make love to my husband.” 

A soft breath slipped out of Zuko’s lips as he tilted her chin up, slowly bringing his lips down to hers. Their second kiss was much better than the first; not the rushed bumping of lips with their entire families watching them. It was a languid, lingering kiss between two people best trying to figure out how their lips fit together, how far to lean down or arch up to get into the perfect position, how to kiss like lovers instead of just husband and wife. 

Zuko broke for air after a few moments but Katara pursued, fingers snaking in his long, black hair and pulling him back into a more heated kiss. A soft purr of pleasure bubbled up in his throat as his tentative touches became bolder. His hands squeezed the back of her bare thighs, luxuriating in the warmth of her skin as she pulled them closer together. 

_“Zuko,”_ she panted with the scarce breath she managed to steal between kisses. Hearing her say his name with such _want_ lit something inside Zuko, touching a part of him that his taciturn exes never managed to reach. Without warning, Katara felt his grip tighten, hoisting her up off her feet as she fumbled to hold on to his shoulders for support. 

“You’re _eager_ ,” Katara laughed, nipping his lower lip. 

“Too fast?” Zuko mumbled. As if to answer, Katara leaned forward, pitching them both down on the bed in a tangle of limbs and giggles. 

“Just _go_ ,” Katara panted, hips rocking against the bulge between her legs. “I’ll tell you if it’s too fast…” 

_This woman is going to kill me,_ Zuko thought, leaning up and hungrily kissing the underside of her jaw. _And I’m not sure if I mind…_

“You’ve— _mmh—_ done this before, haven’t you?” Katara giggled, playing with a strand of Zuko’s hair as she felt the strap holding her top together come undone with a simple twist of his fingers. 

“Noble parties are boring; you and your friends find ways to amuse yourselves,” Zuko mumbled, tossing the top aside as he hungrily planted a kiss on her bare breast. 

“I’m suddenly looking forward to throwing parties,” Katara purred, eyelashes fluttering shut as Zuko shamelessly felt her up. His cock pressed insistently between her legs as she rocked her hips back and forth, straining against the damp silk of Zuko’s pants. 

“T-Take these off,” Katara mumbled, tugging at the waistband of his pants. 

“You first,” Zuko insisted, playing with the string that held her bottoms up. 

“I’m _basically_ naked already; you have to join me,” Katara giggled, pushing him back on the bed as her hand went for his belt. A glint in Zuko’s eye caught Katara’s attention as his hands closed around her wrists, sitting up until he was eye to eye with her. 

“You... _first_ ,” Zuko said, voice low and lips quirked into a challenging smirk that made Katara’s pulse quicken. Straightening up, she rolled her wrists over in his grasp, reversing the hold and pinning his arms to the bed next to his thighs. 

“Don’t you know better than to pick a fight with a waterbender at night?” Katara asked, tongue sticking out childishly. “I had to teach that lesson to every stuck-up boy at the South Pole; do I need to teach it to you too?” 

In response, Zuko pitched his weight sideways, flipping back on top and pinning Katara to the mattress with his hips. “Maybe...but you’re a _long_ way from the South Pole.” 

“Not from where I’m sitting,” Katara giggled, hips rocking against Zuko’s erection as she tightened her grip on his wrists. “What’s your plan here? You can’t undress me without your hands.” 

“That sounds like a _challenge_ ,” Zuko growled, sliding down Katara’s body and nipping at the string that held her underwear together. Katara let out a shriek of laughter, legs locking around Zuko’s neck before he could grab at the knot. 

“Nice try,” Katara panted, heart thumping in her chest as she felt his hot breath tickle the inside of her thighs. “Your next plan better be-” 

Through the thin, silky fabric, Katara felt Zuko’s lips brush against her pussy, nose brushing against her clit as she let out a small whimper. “What are you _doing_ down there?” 

“Your boyfriends didn’t do this for you?” Zuko asked, teeth grabbing the thin strip of fabric protecting Katara’s pussy and tugging on it.

“Do wh-” The rest of Katara’s question was lost in a soft gasp as she felt her husband’s lips brush against her clit. “Oh _Tui…”_

Katara’s fingers tightened around his wrists as she felt his tongue slowly lap at her, hips bucking up against his face involuntarily. Her legs slackened around his neck, their little game forgotten as Zuko shamelessly devoured her. 

“Their loss,” Zuko panted in between wet, slurping kisses. “You taste _good_.”

She looked even better, splayed out on the bed, hair fanned out like a halo as her breasts rose and fell with each hitched breath. Katara looked down at him through her eyelashes, blue eyes clouded with desire as her hips rocked against his mouth with every pass of his tongue. Zuko felt Katara’s foot press against the small of his back, pulling him in a little closer. Lost in the sensation of his beautiful new wife panting and wriggling beneath him, he didn’t notice what Katara was doing until he felt the string holding his pants up come undone sliding down his hips as Katara yanked the string trapped between her toes. 

“ _Hey,”_ Zuko grumbled as Katara let out a soft crow of victory. 

“I play the _long_ game, husband,” Katara said, eyebrows raising as Zuko stood up, pants sliding down his bare thighs and pooling around his ankles. 

“You play _dirty_ ,” Zuko chuckled, stroking himself as Katara tugged the strings holding her bottoms together apart. “You...ready?” 

In answer, Katara tossed the bottoms to one side, propping herself up on her elbows as she let her legs fall apart. The time for talking seemed to be over as Zuko’s weight settled on the bed between her legs, hair spilling into his eyes as he parted her legs and tugged her a little closer to him. 

“Can you start slow?” Katara asked a little shyly as Zuko slid into position. “This is sort of where my...experience falls off.” 

“Sure,” Zuko nodded, slowly pressing his hips forward as he watched Katara’s expression for any sign of discomfort. Her chest hitched as he pushed inside her, breathing becoming shallower as she watched him move.

“You good?” Zuko panted, getting a nod in response as their hips touched. Katara’s legs hooked around the back of Zuko’s hips, tugging him closer as her hands grabbed onto his shoulders for support. 

“Good,” Katara breathed, looking up at him with a sleepy looking smile. “You can um...start now.” 

Bracing his hands on her hips, Zuko let out a small gasp as he pulled back, eyes screwing shut as he thrust forward. He could feel Katara’s grip tightening as he moved, barely-audible gasps increasing in pitch and volume as the bed creaked and buckled beneath them. It took a moment for Katara to settle into a rhythm, but soon she was moving her hips in time with her husband, matching his languid tempo beat for beat. 

“ _Mngh...Katara…”_ Zuko panted, fingers twisting in the sheets. The sound of her name spoken like a prayer set Katara on fire as she leaned up, lips clumsily tangling with Zuko’s, yearning for as much of him as she could lay her hands on. It was a dizzying feeling having a future king naked and sweating between her legs; knowing that the world would only know the armored, stern looking Zuko. This naked, unkempt _beauty_ was for her eyes only; tonight and for every night that followed. 

Zuko’s tongue had pushed her to the edge and as his hips increased their tempo, Katara could feel herself coming apart. “Zuko...Zuko, I’m gonna-” 

Zuko tensed a moment before she did, his cry a few seconds before hers, a sharp _jolt_ of pleasure ripping through Zuko a heartbeat before it shot through Katara as well. She was _fairly_ certain that their wedding guests still mingling in the banquet hall across the palace heard her; fairly certain that a deaf person in the innermost ring of Ba Sing Se could hear her as well. Her ankles locked together behind Zuko’s back as she felt him shudder on top of her, trembling in a long, perfect moment of heedless desire. 

She didn’t even realize her nails had dug into his shoulders until her grip slackened. Their limbs untangling as Zuko slowly collapsed to one side, face buried in the crook of her neck. His soft, panting breaths drew a small giggle from Katara, who sleepily leaned over and kissed the crown of his head. 

“So...it was nice to meet you,” Katara said, earning a small laugh from Zuko. 

“So were you...” Zuko blinked, ears turning red as Katara snorted. “I mean...uh...not a bad way to start a marriage, right?” 

“Not a bad way at all,” Katara said, playing with a strand of his inky black hair. A warm, comfortable silence fell over the bedroom, punctuated only by the sound of their breath and the waves lapping at the coast outside. That, at least, was familiar; wherever she went, the sea would always be the sea. 

“I…” Zuko cleared his throat, shifting a little as he rolled on to his side to look at her. “I...I know we did the whole vow...thing earlier, but um...I just wanted to say that I’m glad you agreed to this. I...I know it must be hard; leaving your home and family. So...if you need a friend, I…” 

The blush seemed to spread to his neck as he picked at a loose thread, words seemingly failing him as her hand slid down his bare chest. “We’re _married,_ Zuko; we’re _more_ than friends.” 

“My _parents_ were married...and my mother hated my father for her whole life,” Zuko said quietly, glancing away. “I didn’t exactly have the best family life until my father was banished...so I always thought that when it was my turn to get married, I’d…” 

Katara couldn’t help but grin as Zuko scratched his cheek somewhat sheepishly. “I want us to...I’d like to be friends with you, at least…” 

Katara felt a warm squeeze in her chest when she looked back at her, fingers twining between his as she leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss against his lips as her fingertips traced the edges of his pink, scarred skin. Someday she would have the full story from him; learn what stirred him to stand up to his own father, even in the face of mutilation. But there was no hurry, and wedding nights were not meant for grim talk of the past. 

There was only the future that stretched out before them like a vast, uncharted sea just waiting to be discovered. 

“Friends…” Katara murmured against her husband’s lips. “I like the sound of that.” 


End file.
